Emergency Housing for those with Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) and Mold Sensitivity

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Here is a list of some housing ideas for those with environmental sensitivities needing immediate or temporary safe housing.

KOA Cabins

koa.com

KOA cabins are located across the US and Canada. The cabins are made from mostly safe materials (mostly wood) and have been reported to be good places to stay for those who are environmentally sensitive.

Ask if the wood has been stained recently. The bathrooms are separate and may or may not be mold-free, depending on the location.

Recently I’m hearing reports of these having gone moldy. If the foundation or roof is not done right there is a high chance these could go moldy. Often newer is better for mold.

Home Made Tents

from: www.miketyka.com/projects/desert-dome/

Regular tents can be difficult because of the chemicals used on the fabrics, the lack of insulation and the tendency for them to go musty very easily and be a lot of work with the airing out and drying out.

Reflectix Tent

Reflectix provides some R-value and reflects light so that should work in a lot of different climates, though the seams will reduce the insulative value and add more glue and more potential for leaks. There are simpler designs for the structure that will reduce seams.

You can’t buy these – you would have to look online for the metal structure, then buy the Reflectix, foam, aluminum tape, and duct tape and then have someone make it for you. The tape may make this intolerable for some. And this also lacks airflow.

You would also make at least one triangle out of polyethylene or an EVA Shower Liner so that you have some light. But have a flap of Reflectix over it that you open and close over this “window”.

Plastic Tent

Kim’s tent via Paradigm Chage.org

Kim was severely sensitive to chemicals. She made a tent out of Tyvek which she tolerated well when extremely reactive. She explains how to make it here. Through extreme mold avoidance, Kim made a full recovery.

This is a plastic used as house wrap.

There are so many options here on what you can build an emergency tent out of. It all depends on what you can tolerate.

It may not last forever but it may give you some time to find another option or even bring down your MCS which will open up options.

Other materials you could use: polyethylene, tarps, even hemp fabric if you are not expecting rain and don’t have high humidity.

Foam Tent

When Sara was an extreme reactor (also now recovered), she made a simple structure out of XPS foam boards. The two-inch boards of XPS (usually Owens Corning brand can be found easily) have a high insulative value.

She arranged them in a tent shape, the groves in the edges holding them together. Rocks at the base pressing them together. Of course, you could use tape if you can tolerate that or put plastic over the whole thing.

Above is my version made of polyiso foam. This is a “foam tent” used inside a non-insulated trailer that was cold and still offgassing.

I hooked up a Panasonic ERV and ran fresh air into the tent at night via a 4-inch aluminum tube. The opposite end of the tent had a 4-inch hole for air to exit.

This is a highly effective way to deal with offgassing – fresh air is pouring through, though it can be difficult to control the temperature and humidity this way.

The whole thing was completed with some volunteer and some paid labor for 1000 CAD.

Such a robust frame is not always necessary. You can build the plywood platform, with foam box on top and simply string a tarp over this if you don’t have strong winds or lots of snow.

This is the same structure with a tarp over it and the XPS foam box secured with tape inside. The design can be improved by fixing the tarp, painting the foam structure and using clear tape. Please contact me for details if you want help setting something like this up.

Here’s another example of a foam box. Just don’t put it right on the ground like they did here, and you want another cover on it. This is polyethylene foam which is much more unusual.

Insulated/Aluminum Tents

billionbricks.org

These tents are insulated and the foil on the inside will also block most of the VOCs from the fabric on the outside.

They say you can sleep in them down to 0 degrees Celsius.

They are 600 USD.

They look like they would have problems with airflow and condensation inside. As well as being straight on the ground, but they may work for some people.

shiftpod

The shift pod for 1300 USD is similar but with the reflective layer on the outside.

This will help reflect the sun and keep cool in sunny weather when there is no shade.

But I don’t know how this will perform well with condensation inside.

The best of the typical tents have an internal mesh layer, then a gap with a rainfly on top. If you don’t use that system you usually end up with condensation.

There are other similar tents cropping up that were designed for Burning Man festival.

For a lot less you can get a simple aluminum lined small sleeping tent. It’s not insulated but the aluminum on the inside is more tolerable than the usual tent materials and does reflect heat inside.

Bubble Tent

These cute domes are very photogenic.

They include a fan that circulates fresh air. Though they would still be impractical for hot or cold weather. You could add shade when it’s sunny unless you are somewhere very cold, then the sun might be an advantage.

I wouldn’t use canvas for anything other than a short and dry camping trip but without the breathable roof these are prone to condensation.

Communitysupportedshelters.org

Conestoga huts have a simple design for a little hut/glorified tent. A simple design that goes up fast is a big benefit.

I have not been able to review these plans for mold preventative building, but it’s an interesting design. If you have the plans for these will do a free review.

If you don’t insulate this it shouldn’t be a problem. If you do want to try these with insulation please reach out to me or an expert in building science. I am not presuming these are a mold-safe design.

Sheds

Steel sheds can be bought from Amazon or hardware stores for 700-1000 dollars.

You will also need to build a foundation (you could also just leave it as gravel), pay for labor to set it up, caulk the whole structure and likely put in some insulation.

There are also wooden and plastic sheds. I have seen some good little wooden shed kits made of solid wood.

Raise them off the ground and cover with a tarp above that is not touching the shed.

I like cedarshed.com for those who can tolerate cedar because it’s a highly rot-resistant wood.

Check out the wood first, see how it was stored and test it for reactions.

Hard plastic sheds will work for many people. The more flexible the plastic the more it offgasses. PVC should be avoided where possible.

Glass Enclosures

www.buildahealthyhouse.com

A greenhouse can be used for backup shelter, it gets very hot when the sun hits them in warmer seasons and can dip really low at night in colder temps.

But some people have used them successfully. Margaret (another person who used this strategy to heal and make it back to indoor housing) talks about her experience with them here (her greenhouse pictured above).

I designed an all-glass on the interior shelter with insulation on the outside. This was designed for a time that I could not have metal or wood inside touching me.

The walls and floor were glass. The ceiling would be easier to make out of metal.

The shelter was raised off the ground on a platform. Outside of the glass was 2 inches of foam insulation. To hold this insulation on, the exterior framing (outside of the foam layer) was attached by drilling through the foam and glass. The foam needs to be airtight to the glass. A tarp should cover the shelter.

Back of a Pick-Up Truck

Try and find an aluminum canopy for the back of the truck, which is the best-tolerated type.

The bed liner may need to be offgassed or can be covered with Reflectix.

Cargo Trailer

The company WeRoll can customize these and they have more robust roof lines compared to the standard models.

Creating a Safe-Room in Your House

image via EI Welspring.org

To create a non-toxic room in your home you can use Denny Foil, or heavy-duty aluminum foil on the walls/ceiling/floor.

These materials block VOCs (chemicals/toxins including mold).

Heavy-duty aluminum foil is much easier to work with than the type used in cooking. You may need several layers to totally block smells.

You want to use green Painting Tape for this as it will not damage the walls and is easy to remove – a healthy person could rip off/take down the whole room is probably 20-30 min (small room). The blue tape is toxic so I wouldn’t use that. You could use aluminum tape but it is very sticky and will leave a residue and will be hard to take off. Aluminum tape also smells and offgasses more than green tape.

I would not do this where you have colder air inside than outside (AC use).

Be careful that when you open the window or the door that the air coming in might not be good, so this won’t be a long-term solution.

How airflow works in Isolation Rooms via healthfacilityguidelines.com

If you can’t foil the walls you can make a room within a room and use positive pressure as explained here in this post. The picture above shows how pressurized rooms keep out contaminants.

You can use foam, plastic or any airtight material. Isolate that by using positive pressure which will work to reduce chemicals like offgassing.

That can be a solution for someone extremely sensitive who has trouble with offgassing (when the issue is offgassing rather than mold).

You can find more information by researching isolation rooms.

Ecovillages

The ecovillage where I did a lot of recovering

Staying in a cob house (or straw bale, adobe, light straw-clay house) can be a really good option

Ecovillages may rent out rooms in natural homes and there is a possibility of getting in on the communal meal plan as well. Search for some in your area and ask about monthly stays.

I have seen some natural homes listed on AirBnB as well as on lists of intentional communities/ecovillages.

Always ask about propane, natural gas, cleaning products, and water damage. I have found that is wet/cold climates cob and similar materials do not hold up to mold after a few years.

Slabs and roofs often have mistakes that lead to mold. Green roofs can be very problematic. Amateur built houses are especially prone to mistakes that lead to mold.

This type of building is best when raised off the ground, or with a simple roof, otherwise, don’t bank on this being safe if more than 1-3 years old.

Ecovillages are also a good place to set up a tent where you might have access to outdoor bathrooms and kitchens that are more MCS safe than campgrounds.

It may also be a safer environment for those traveling solo. I have used the Intentional Communities website, Google for places near you, and the site wwoofing.

If you have physical energy you can work on a wwoofing site in exchange for free rent (camping or small cabin usually) and often food.

Another option for those who have energy to do work is remote cabins that are advertised on Craigslist where you do some house and yard work in exchange for rent. The cabins might not be safe, but this could be a free spot to camp or live in a trailer.

Other Emergency Housing

We should have emergency and long-term safe housing for people with MCS, but in reality, there is very little.

For housing listings in the US and Canada, join EI Safe Housing on Facebook.

When I come across AirBnBs, hotels and short term rentals that look safe I list them here on my Pinterest page. While many turn to Airbnb or other short term rentals, in the beginning, this can be a difficult and sometimes impossible road if one is super sensitive and/or masked to mold.

Did you find this post helpful? If so you can buy me a coffee to support the research behind this blog. Thank you!

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist with 6 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

I spent two years in tents and small structures in order to heal from extreme chemical sensitivity.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Dear Corinne,
You made through so much… Wow… As for me, I am loosing my hope. The only family member, who is helping at times is slipping into memory loss along with constant bouts of anger, instead of generous helping attitude… I can really the help of yours.
Where are you located? Do you have info re. Safe housing in Northern Ca? Is anything available now in desert climate?

Additional trouble is my allergy to pine and other confirms, esp those they pollinate aggressively… Mold that effected me was brewed in pine pollen… I am desperate and since my condition is due to mold, the humidity of this season is simply devastating for me.. I could never expect to be stranded at this time of the year especially…

On the other subject:
We need to demand for the government agencies to step in, or get sewed for violating law on accessibility for disabled. Have you done anything in this domain, know someone who did, etc.?
Legislative director for the local Ca senator came up to me after my performance at the Capitol Hill alert December, and she seemed to be sympathetic to the problem, thanks to her knowledge from her close friend who suffers from this
Problem as well. But, my housing catastrophe prevents me from pursuing this and all of my other passions and commitments…

Finding mold safe housing is always a big challenge. The best way is to unmask yourself. The next best option is to have an unmasked mold avoider help you. The last option is to choose housing based on an inspection. It sounds like you have a complex situation and I would look for someone that can speak wit you for 3 hours or more at minimum to help problem solve.

Dear Corinne,
You made it through so much… Wow… As for me, I am loosing my hope . I can really the help of yours. Do you have info re. Safe housing in Northern Ca? I am desperate and my condition is due to mold, so the humidity of the season is simply devastating for me..
We need to demand for the government agencies to step in, or get sewed for violating law on accessibility for disabled. Have you done anything in this domain, know someone who did, etc.?